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“A series of devastating fires sweeps unchecked through thousands of acres of valuable woodland in Mendocino National Forest. A state of emergency has been declared by Governor Warren and equipment is being rushed into the area. Supplies are even being airlifted to account for the current state of infrastructure in the region. Truly a terrible toll on our woodlands and our natural resources.”


“It was awful no doubt. The toughest part was that just getting the supplies and men needed up to those parts was difficult in those days. What roads were drivable didn’t go deep enough and the roads we really needed didn’t exist. Something of the scale of the ’51 fires could happen today, hell it does happen today, but at the time it was still a big deal. I guess that’s why the Governor decided to get a ton of volunteers on it and show up all fancy for some journalists, it was good talk and people were going to talk about it. Not that the extra help didn’t help…”


“CALIFORNIA NATIONAL GUARD REPORT TO MENDOCINO”


“As much as you hear about the whole fiasco from historians and political junkies, at the time it just wasn’t that big a deal in California. The whole damn state knew that this level of stuff wasn’t required! The fires were bad, but California had seen and will far worse I am sure of it, the reason he called the National Guard out that day was to get press attention on him and seem like a crisis solver. I have nothing against the guy, but you can’t expect me not to say the truth.”


“Despite these popular claims, the California Wildfires of 1951 have little to do with the election of 1952 nor Warren’s policy. The wildfires hardly came up in the ’52 Campaign Season and indeed wasn’t much of a talking point, all that could be said was that the Governor dealt with the disaster effectively and quickly, hardly a speaking point on the national stage. As well, some claim that this is when the idea for national highways and a better road network came into the head of Warren, but this merely isn’t the case as previous actions in the late 1940’s showed he had already had similar plans in mind”



“The year 1951 had to be the most demanding and intensive year of Governor Warren’s service to the state. Not only was the Northern portion of the state caught in yet another seasonal wildfire but then came the events now known as ‘Bloody Christmas’”


“On December 25, 1951, approximately fifty Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers brutally beat seven young men in their custody, including five Mexican Americans. The ensuing controversy became known as Bloody Christmas. Mexican American activists demanded investigations into allegations of police brutality and LAPD accountability to civilian control. The LAPD's new chief, William Parker, however, had just launched a reform campaign based on the police professionalism model, which stressed police autonomy, particularly about internal discipline”

“Of course, upon hearing what happened I immediately contacted my friends and associates in the State Government of California and the City of Los Angeles, but I knew this was going to be bad, and I knew it was going to be very much out of my control. I clung to this case though and immediately began calling the Governor’s office to get the state involved.”


“GOVERNOR ORDERS ATTORNEY GENERAL TO INVESTIGATE LAPD AND ENSURE ORDER”


“Attorney General Pat Brown’s role in the scandal became one of heated controversy. His report eventually found that while a select group of officers had committed offenses and would face trial that no institutional problem existed within the police force. Police Chief Parker and his force also worked quite closely with the office of the Attorney General and often police testimony was downright preferred to witness testimony. While Brown could claim he had brought order and security to Los Angeles, he had merely covered a steaming pot.”


“Governor Warren had, by this point, set his sights on the 1952 Primaries, and while he recognized the volatility of the Los Angeles situation did not see what he could, from his office, do to help. Many in his confidence assert that he truly believed the Attorney General could handle it, while others have argued that he was merely looking to cover up any issue which may hurt him in the coming election.”



“LIBERTY FILMS RELEASES LOCAL HIT, “ALL THE GOVERNOR’S MEN”


“I will admit the Liberty Films deal was one I didn’t crack myself. One of my friends in the movie business cracked a joke about how Liberty Films was going under and how at this point they’d film anything given the money. Well, the joke stuck with me and I figured a nice little film about a hardworking and loyal man who worked to fix his state and then his country, set in the 1800s of course, would be a fine picture to hit the box office for the Christmas runs. Sure, it wasn’t a great financial success, but it certainly didn’t make bad campaigning and the message was lost on no one.”


“Governor Warren certainly did not get to leave his office filled with only success. In 1951, the state of California was lit aflame with both the fires of the North and the racial disputes of the South. But by 1952 the flames had either been put out or had smoldered, and so the stage was set for the Presidential Election of 1952.


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